The enactment of the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 (BBA) dramatically changed the context for discussions of Medicare policy. Two major pathways for discussion were identified:
- Appropriate and equitable payment for services, either through traditional fee-for service (FFS) Medicare payments or through Medicare+Choice monthly premiums; and
- Appropriate and necessary changes to the program to assure long-term solvency and adequate, affordable benefits for beneficiaries.
This report was written by RUPRI Health Panel Members: Andrew Coburn, Charles Fluharty, A. Clinton MacKinney, Timothy McBride, Keith Mueller, Rebecca Slifkin, Mary Wakefield; published May 15, 2001.
The Rural Health Panel of the Rural Policy Research Institute (RUPRI) provides analyses of changes that have been enacted and of proposals for further changes. Our analyses have focused on implications of change for rural Medicare beneficiaries and health care providers in rural areas and on maintaining a rural health care delivery infrastructure.
